CIRDI and IMPACT will collaborate to share expertise towards their shared vision of strengthening natural resource governance.
April 3, 2020 – UBC’s Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with the Ottawa-based international non-profit IMPACT. The partnership provides an opportunity for two Canadian organizations operating internationally to scale their individual efforts and collective impact in the area of natural resource governance, and particularly in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.
With 34 years of experience operating at the intersection of natural resources and human rights, IMPACT has established innovative approaches that transform how natural resources are managed to improve security, development and equality. These priorities align with CIRDI’s focus on systemic public sector reform for improved natural resource governance, and with its values around human rights, environmental stewardship and gender equality.
The partnership further affirms CIRDI and IMPACT’s shared commitments to cross-sectoral learning and advancing inclusive and sustainable development through improved governance. Both organizations understand that changemaking requires collaboration and reciprocal diffusion of institutional knowledge. Partnership efforts have already begun through CIRDI’s Supporting the Ministry of Mines (SUMM) project in Ethiopia. IMPACT will assist the Ethiopian government in advancing the CIRDI-developed Artisanal Special and Small-Scale Mining (ASSM) Strategy with strategic advice on implementation planning.
“We have tremendous respect for the long-term trajectory and value that IMPACT has brought to ASM,” says Elaine Pura, CEO of CIRDI. “Through CIRDI’s work, we’ve seen from the ground up the need for workers in precarious and hazardous roles to have pathways to decent work. IMPACT’s experience with formalization in the ASM and extractives sector can be instructive for value chains in many other natural resource sectors.”
“IMPACT values collaboration with academic institutions—especially ones aligned with our vision to ensure artisanal miners receive the full benefit from the resources in their communities. Given CIRDI’s academic home at UBC, we believe that CIRDI can offer academic rigour, analysis and solutions to the challenges this partnership seeks to alleviate. We ground our work in partnerships and looks forward to how our collaboration can transform natural resource management in areas where security and human rights are at risk,” said Joanne Lebert, IMPACT’s Executive Director.
CONTACT:
Munisha Tumato
Communications and Events Manager
Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI)
778-321-2434
munisha.tumato@cirdi.ca
Zuzia Danielski
Communications Director, IMPACT
613-237-6768 ext 310
zdanielski@impacttransform.org